If you didn't laugh, you'd cry. The smoke in Canberra seems relentless, so when a little bit of light relief is provided, we have to grab it with both hands.
Locals have touchingly put a face mask on the statue at the Hughes shops. And it's a gesture that might bring a smile to your face but it's also a kind of haunting one.
The statue, A Delicate Moment, is all about tenderness, dignity and strength, and the addition of the mask just heightens those feelings. We've seen those qualities in many people affected by the bushfire crisis.
It's also worth noting the work is by artists Suzie Bleach and Andy Townsend, formerly of Braidwood, now of the South Coast, two areas devastated by the fires.
Bleach and Townsend said at the unveiling of the statue, in May last year, that the work was also about the bond between humans and nature, again something writ large by the current fire disaster and the decimation of wildlife.
Locals have obviously taken to the statue, also caring for her in the depths of winter. Last August, a nice warm scarf was wrapped around her neck and even slippers put on her feet (by being cut out and fitted on to them) to give her a little lift during winter.
It's not the only statue in Canberra to be given a mask. The statue of former prime minister Sir Robert Menzies next to Lake Burley Griffin has also been spotted wearing one.
